Adventure Activities in Houston -- Try if You Dare

While Houston, Texas, may not be the city that comes to mind when someone says "thrill-seeking," there are several ways to get the adrenaline rushing in Houston. Here are five terrific adventure activities in Houston. Tackle these ideas if you dare.

1. Float like an astronaut

For an exciting day out with the whole family, the NASA Space Center is a great adventure activity in Houston. One popular option is the Living in Space simulator, which allows visitors to feel what it's like to be in space like the astronauts. It includes humorous demonstrations on doing tasks such as eating in zero gravity, in which food floats.

Visitors can also observe what it's like to land a spaceship or operate the Mission Control center by using hands-on exhibits. The Blast Off Theater provides a unique perspective on being part of a shuttle launch, including large screens, smoke, and loud noises of a rocket. Note that the Space Center is geared toward families, thus the exhibits will not exactly be a heart-pounding experience for most adults.

Entry is $19.95 for adults, $15.95 for children ages 4-11, $18.95 for seniors. Discounts and special offers, especially during the summer, can usually be found on the Space Center's website. Hours of operation are 10AM-5PM weekdays, to 6PM on weekends; with alternate hours during the summer or holidays.

2. Lock yourself in with ghosts

If you truly want a hair-raising adventure activity in Houston, discovering ghosts overnight at the creepy Spaghetti Warehouse restaurant will surely leave you satisfied, if being scared to death is your sort of thing. Sure to contribute to your daring adventures activity in Houston, this ghost hunt is not for the faint of heart or people under the age of 21. This will take more preparation than the average tourist destination, and more out of the wallet as well.

This overnight lock-in at the Spaghetti Warehouse (901 Commerce St; 713-229-9715) in Houston is for the adventurous, and includes dowsing, ghost stories, an Ouija board session, and instructions on how to conduct your own ghost hunt in the building using paranormal-hunting equipment. A team of paranormal investigation experts will be present to guide everyone around the building. There is also time to wander on your own and even attempt a séance... if you dare to. Be warned that you will be expected to stay awake the whole time. Then again, who would want to fall asleep? Spaces are reserved; tickets are $50 per person.

3. Free-fall over the city

With the wind in your face, the adrenaline of falling through the sky, and the spectacular aerial countryside view of Texas, skydiving is the ultimate adventure activity in Houston for the daring. There are several different skydiving companies, but Skydive Houston is the most recommended. Located northwest of Houston, jumpers will be dropped from the helicopter at approximately 10,000 feet. Letting a licensed instructor fly with you and operate the parachute (tandem skydiving), or learning to skydive yourself through a series of courses (accelerated Free Fall, or AFF) are the two options.

They also claim to have "jumped more than 30,000 students" in the 14 years since the company was established. The 60-minute skydive can even be recorded and put on a DVD. The facility even includes areas where RVs can be parked or bunks can be used for $5 a night. Students must be at least 18, and if over 65, must have medical approval. Tandem jumpers must be less than 280 pounds. Prices range from $149 to $179 for tandem skydiving, and $255 to $295 for AFF.

4. Tackle a monster burger

This is another adventure activity in Houston you might want to try. If you are confident in your massive eating abilities, try the Zellagabetsky burger at Kenny & Ziggy's Delicatessen. Although this isn't the most daring adventure for your Houston vacation, it is certainly not to be taken lightly. The hefty rye-bread sandwich is eight layers thick, with salami, corned beef, pastrami, turkey, roast beef, tongue, coleslaw, Russian dressing, Swiss cheese, and red sweet peppers. (Note that it comes with a hefty price, too: $38). The prize for eating it: a free piece of cheesecake. Thankfully, Kenny & Ziggy's makes some darn good cheesecake. The restaurant has been featured on Food Network's show 'Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives'.

5. Explore your phobias

Common phobias serve as the genesis for many dare ideas. In Houston, the Phobia Haunted House offers eight different attractions in one vast place. The themes are The Darke Institute, Mind Control, 3D Clown Phobia, ClaustroPhobia, Dawn of the Machine, DarkeWorld, Mania, and the Simon Fowler Woods.

The Darke Institute is the original haunted house, an attraction most people will already be familiar with. However, the other attractions get wacky. Mind Control is an asylum-themed place filled with psychotic mental patients. 3D Clown Phobia is a child's worst nightmare: two stories of crazy clowns and enough colors to make you think twice if you're not under the influence of "certain chemicals." ClaustroPhobia plays tricks on the mind as it distorts your perception of up and down (with moving floors, of course). Dawn of the Machine creates a world in which psycho machines have taken control. DarkeWorld is... interesting. The theme of it is, "You are what you eat, and everything is eating something or somebody." That pretty much sums it up. Mania is the brightest, most technicolor-looking of all of the attractions. Colors flash right in your face. Simon Fowler Woods is a unique experience that takes place in the woods amongst a maze of barriers. Of course, it wouldn't be truly scary without something lurking around.

The Darkeworld, Mania, and Simon Fowler Woods are all collectively called Exile. Only one ticket needs to be purchased in order to visit all of the Exile attractions. Hours of operation are usually 7 or 8pm to midnight; but times vary so check for scheduled openings and closings before you go. Admission: one house, $13; two, $25; three, $30; four,$40; five, $50; and Exile is $30.